Good to hear that you’ve decided that the United States shouldn’t default on its obligations, and that you’re willing to violate the “Hastert Rule” — the informal rule that the Speaker shouldn’t bring up a bill that doesn’t have the support of a majority of Republicans, even if the bill does have the support of a majority of the members of Congress — to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.

But what about the full faith and credit of all the hardworking folks who aren’t getting paid right now because your friends on the right are playing games with people’s lives?

Maybe you can explain to us why, if a majority of members of Congress are willing to end this irresponsible shutdown, you won’t bring that to a vote.

Oh, I know the answer. It’s because that majority has too many Democrats and too few Republicans for your liking.

I can just imagine the dinner table conversation. Sorry, kids, we can’t pay the mortgage; we’re not going to Yosemite; the E-Verify system is down and so I can’t get hired; we can’t buy the house we’ve been saving for, can’t get mortgage approval, can’t get a loan for our business, can’t sign up for a clinical trial — even though a majority of the members of Congress are against this shutdown — because of the Hastert Rule.

Yes, that’s right: the Hastert Rule.

Now, my bet is that most Americans don’t even know who Hastert is, much less why he has a rule that was never actually “passed” by anyone but is still more important than their getting a paycheck or buying a house or starting a business.

And if they do know who he is, they might ask why such an “informal” rule is more important than majority rule, and why a minority (the right wing) of the majority party (Republicans) should have more power than the majority of the whole House.

Truth be told, Mr. Speaker, no one can force you to follow the Hastert Rule. You do, except when you don’t — for instance, when we were heading over the fiscal cliff, or when your right-wing members didn’t want to provide help for the victims of Superstorm Sandy or pass the Violence Against Women Act.

Some of us actually think that’s how Congress should work: the majority rules. The center holds. The lives of hardworking Americans don’t get held hostage by an ideological minority that would rather play games.

And lest anybody has forgotten, all of this is happening because that minority of the majority wants to remind us that they oppose Obamacare. No other reason. Pure symbolism.

Now, imagine this. Imagine that instead of throwing a tantrum and playing games, the people we elected to represent us took it upon themselves to try to fix some of the problems with Obamacare.

I know. It’s a fantasy, expecting these members of Congress to behave like grownups instead of spoiled brats.